Given the important role that charities and not-for-profit organizations play in society, the benefits of blockchain technology have just as much relevance to this sector of the economy as any other. The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), a U.K.-based organization, has taken a pioneering role in exploring how blockchain technology can improve the governance of charities […]

Bitcoin Press Release: The two month-long ICO for blockchain based Incent loyalty rewards token goes live today. October 1, 2016, Sydney Australia – BitScan announces the launch of its crowdfunding initiative for the new blockchain loyalty token, Incent through an ICO. Starting October 1, 2016, at 00:01 (GMT), the ICO will go on until 23:59 […]

Bitcoin Press Release: After raising $150,000, the Minex blockchain platform continues its discounted MineCoin ICO offering with huge bonus until October 6, 2016. September 30, 2016, Kyiv, Ukraine – The Minex Platform has already raised over $150,000 in its currently ongoing ICO. As the ICO progresses, the platform urges interested investors to hurry, in order […]

Purse, an online marketplace that encourages bitcoin use and innovation, has introduced bcoin, a Javascript library to help bitcoin businesses build applications. Purse provides a full node implementation that allows it to utilize new additions to the bitcoin code base as they become available. Bcoin is consensus aware and is up to date with the […]

Hackers who raid corporate bank accounts often launder stolen funds by depositing them in accounts owned by “money mules,” people recruited through work-at-home job scams. The mules are usually instructed to wire the stolen funds to the scammers. Increasingly, however, the mules are being directed to send the funds using bitcoin ATMs, according to KrebsOnSecurity. […]

South Africa’s Central Securities Depositories (CSDs) Strate has signed a Letter of Intent with Russia’s National Settlement Depository NSD at the Sibos event in Geneva in September 2016 to forge a partnership that will develop solutions utilizing blockchain – or the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). The first use case is focused on proxy voting which […]

Alison Brittain is one of only seven female CEOs at a FTSE 100 company in Britain.

In her rise to the top at Whitbread, which owns brands such as Premier Inn and Costa Coffee, she has gathered a range of advice for other women seeking the top job in their careers.

Speaking at the FT Women at the Top event in London this week, Brittain outlined how to make that step from managing director to CEO, through her own experience.

Apart from joking that having "a rottweiler PA is as useful as a handbag," she said there are some key traits that every CEO should have.

1. "Ask the right questions" — Brittain says that asking the right questions both internally and externally from the company are really important. She told the audience about how "it is astonishing what kind of ripple effect your words can have [on employees] and even worse what how you don't say or do, like non verbal cues, can cause this."

"You have to be careful what you say and how you say it because when I make a light hearted comment, some people will take that as the number one thing that we have to focus on and then divert all their resources to achieve it. Another time, there was a discussion about how unhappy I looked in a board meeting, as I was staring out of the window looking 'sad.' But little did everyone know that just before the meeting, I looked up quadratic equations on a website and I thought 'I'm not going to be able to help Matthew with his homework tonight."

2. "Don't be fake" — Brittain says "it takes too much energy to be unauthentic, and to fake it all the time is even more excruciating."

It takes too much energy to be unauthentic, and to fake it all the time is even more excruciating.

"Authentic leadership is key. People are going to be critical and judgmental of you. I suspect that given there are 7 of us [female CEOs in the FTSE 100], we are rare creatures, we also particularly interesting to observe," she added, laughing.

"I have managed my rise in my career with professional schizophrenia — being able to switch between managing a work life balance, looking after an ageing mother."

3. Don't surround yourself with "yes people" — Brittain says that it is important to have a mix of people in your inner circle so they can highlight your strengths and weaknesses and bring about self-awareness.

4. Confidence — You are going to need confidence to rise to the top, says Brittain. "If you are a senior manager, head of department, a director already, you are probably or should be competent already but you need to be confident to develop long term strategy and a direction for company," she says.

5. Developing a thick skin — "You need to develop a thick skin. You are going to need it.

6. Curiosity — Brittain says being curious of new things is vital for making the leap to the top boss job: "You need to envisage the future, more internally and externally."

She says that at Whitbread, which owns major brands like Costa Coffee and and Premier Inns, it would be easy to just rest on the laurels of the brands' success. However she says " Premier Inn is already so successful for a long period of time. It is easy to be complacent but from my perspective what got us here, will not get us to there. That is why I have put innovation in number one spot for [Whitbread's] strategy."

It is easy to be complacent but from my perspective 'what got us here, will not get us to there.

7. Embracing current technology — "An increasing technological skillset is required for any senior leader. Gone are the days tech where tech was subordinated in bowls of basement. It has now reached the top table. You need to look at how technology can help service delivery, personalisation and I find it absolutely critical and count myself lucky that although I am not a technologist, I am into techy stuff," says Brittain.